First Look: Donna Grant’s Midnight’s Master (May 22, 2012)

Gwynn Austin has no idea why her father has disappeared on a mysterious trip to Scotland. When she goes on a desperate mission to search for him she finds more than she bargains for in a ruggedly handsome, wickedly exciting Highlander who exudes danger and mystery. And when she discovers her own link to Scotland, she’ll have to trust her heart to help lead her...

Propelled through time by powerful Druid Magic, Logan Hamilton uses his immortality and powers of the god inside him to help prevent the awakening of an ancient evil in the modern world. He never expects to find help in the form of a beautiful, alluring, and all too tempting woman whose passion and strength matches his own. Together, Logan and Gywnn must fight for their love—before a demon from the past destroys them both…

There seems to be a universal truth when discussing romance novels (that are also steeped in myth and fast-paced action): when all else looks dire, you need to take every opportunity for passion. And that’s advice the two main characters, Gwynn and Logan, take time and time again in Donna Grant’s Midnight’s Master.

Logan has come forward in time from the year 1603 on a mission to retrieve an artifact that will put a stop to the evil that is Deirdre, a wicked drough Druid. Gwynn has travelled from America to Scotland to find her missing father, who has also been looking for the artifact. Quickly thrown together on a wild adventure, they also begin to feel a mutual attraction that will not be quelled, no matter how hard either of them tries. This takes long distance dating to a whole new level.

In a storyline that has moved forward from Donna Grant’s Dark Sword series to this, book one of the Dark Warriors series, Gwynn and Logan face a potentially world changing, Satan-infused scenario. They also have to deal with their own histories which fuels their ideas that everlasting love will never be found. In parallel stories, we are able to watch as these two overcome their own issues to beat the odds of true love while fighting an ancient evil in Deirdre. A wrench in the plans comes in the twenty-first century, with Satan adding a new foe, Declan.

The odds begin to seem insurmountable as two enemies must now be defeated. It’s a fortunate thing that Logan’s friends and family have survived until this time (thanks in large part to the male ‘Warriors’ immortality along with special spells to keep their loved ones from aging—ain’t magic grand?). Gwynn isn’t without some hidden talents too. As tensions rise on the myth side of the story, so too does the passion between Logan and Gwynn.

“It tore at [Logan] the same time that it appeased him. Everything about Gwynn turned him about, twisting his usual calm emotions into a whirlpool of chaos.”

“There was a fire within Gwynn, an inferno whose flames he had fanned and brought to life. It was a blaze he never wanted to go out.”

Proving that there’s not time like the present, the two lay claim to one of the coolest make out spots ever, though it’s a wonder how Logan was able to kiss passionately and still maintain their environment, simultaneously. That may just be the ultimate proof that he’s not only a Warrior, but also part god.

Gwynn has her work cut out for her; not only in attempting not to lose her heart to the now five hundred year-old man she is attracted too, but also in bringing him up to date to changes since he time travelled to the current year. Imagine trying to explain the internet to a Highlander from the 17th century? It’s a good thing that Logan has a god bound within him that aids in his acclimation, though motor vehicles and street lights still confound him.

There’s more at stake than just two hearts and a displaced Highlander however; the camaraderie between the men and women at MacLeod castle (the home base for the Warriors and their Druid wives) begins to feel more like family to Gwynn than she’s ever known from her own father. Her tale of a much loved and missed mother is heartbreaking, especially in contrast to the utter neglect she’d had to suffer from her dad. But her father seems to have his own agenda and comes across as even more vile than either Deirdre or Declan. Gary Austin is the type of character that makes you want to reach into a back and smack them senseless. While Gwynn claims it was the loss of her mother that has frozen her heart to love, an argument can be made that her father may make her run from any future relationships and fast!

With all these road blocks, it is understandable that:

“They had no time for kisses, no time for the mounting desire that had built before their first kiss, and most especially afterward.”

But when it comes this steamy read, the reader can only wait in anticipation until Gwynn and Logan can achieve

“…pure, wonderful, breathtaking sin.”

Timing is apparently everything, so when your survival is less than guaranteed, it’s best to use every free millisecond to your advantage.

“He laughed, which brought a smile to her face. They were in the middle of a cave trying to find an ancient relic while avoiding two droughs bent on killing them.

How they could laugh at a time like this was something she couldn’t fathom. Yet she knew, she’d rather no one by her side than Logan.”

Whether that time is used for getting to know a handsome stranger, laughter, or mind-blowing sex, Donna Grant reminds us in Midnight’s Master that it’s never a waste.

Jackie Lester imagines a day when she can make a living as a writer. Until then, she reviews eclectic books at My Ever Expanding Library and lives in small-town Ontario with her daughter.

I enjoyed the excerpt posted here a short time back. The descriptions of modern Scotland made me nostalgic for my one visit years ago. Midnight's Master was added to my TBR list at that time, although I didn't pre-order it. THAT has now been remedied - I've now purchased this book and pre-ordered the rest of the 4-book series. Looks like I may need to get and read the Dark Sword series as well.